Populist Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini is expected to drastically cut the daily allowance for migrants in Italy, with claims the country could see savings of up to 400 million euros by 2019.

ROME (AP) — Italy’s deputy premier on Saturday brushed off a ratings downgrade and vowed to forge ahead with the government’s rule-busting budget as Italy prepared to respond to European Union concerns about its high deficit targets.

While Italy has so far not experienced a major radical Islamic terror attack, the number of jihadis is rising in the country with Italy becoming the European nation with the highest number of jihad-related deportations this year.

The Italian government has announced the deportation of three African immigrants suspected of close ties with Islamist terrorist groups, including one who had expressed the desire to kill “white tourists” and “Christians.”

The European Union (EU) lashed out at Italian populist leaders Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini after they suggested Italy could cease payments to Brussels if other member-states do not help resolve the migrant crisis.

Matteo Salvini’s populist League (La Lega) has promised a comprehensive new pro-family government policy including child care and other policies to encourage Italians to have more children, with the plan being partially funded by a tax on migrants sending cash overseas.

Italy’s new Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini is following Hungary’s Viktor Orbán in putting demographics at the heart of his programme, warning that a country which imports migrants instead of supporting families is “destined to die”.

Candidates backed by Matteo Salvini’s anti-mass migration League (Lega) party have surged ahead of the competition in Italy’s municipal elections, confirming public support for his tough stance on NGOs ferrying migrants across the Mediterranean.

Almost 60 percent of Italians say it was right to shut their ports to ships transporting illegal migrants from Africa, and 68 percent say populist interior minister Matteo Salvini was correct to stand up to the EU on the issue.

As the results of Italy’s municipal elections from around the country continue to pour in, the biggest gains are going to the anti-establishment League party, with its 5-Star partner suffering important setbacks.